Rust - The gift that keeps on giving? (1 Viewer)

[alleycat]

OK I bought a 94' 80, 181K in North Carolina but most of it's life was with one owner in West Virginia. This one is a real beauty queen. White paint is fantastic and the blue herring bone cloth interior looks like it just rolled off show room floor. Birf job done by PO just before I bought it and lots other Toyota Dealer receipts for work. I just base lined all maintenance and fixed the big three oil leaks. Motor is super strong and runs like a top. Great looking truck.

Problem is rust. I saw it prior to purchase. With the exception of a very small spot on base of tailgate glass, no exterior rust is visible in paint. The rig lived in the mountains with the associated snow/sand/salt exposure and there is surface rust on undercarriage and body rust underneath - see photos. I pulled rear wheels last weekend and stopped my brake job when I saw caliper (yes that is a caliper in the pic). Also some visible rust showing up in wheel wells.

Now the question. Being from flaming hot and humid Charleston SC, I don't have much experience with rust on vehicles down here. Once a rig like this has been affected by rust does it tend to continue at a similar rate after the truck has been taken out of that environment? Is this thing going to look like a rusty mess is a couple years or can I expect the process to slow? I could easily cut and run now before I get too attached to this thing and not get hurt $$$ - and look for a replacement but it's such a great looking rig I hate to bail out. All feedback appreciated.

 

[BILT4ME]

Rust does not heal itself or stop. Run. Run Forrest Run!

You can dive into it, and break of every bolt you touch. Then learn how to use tap and die sets. Oh yeah...and easy-outs....and after you break off the easy-outs, how to remove and drill a new hole to fit. And run a welder to replace the parts in those areas. And a torch to break the rust free so you can get the bolts out.

Run Forrest! Run!

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Show some pics of the frame. That's where your real concern should be. I'm not sure how long you plan on holding onto to it, but if the outer body has no visible rust, the rust you showed is only in those areas you posted pics of and the frame is in good shape it will last years as long as you take care of it. Power washing is your friend, and you can also give it the occasional used oil spray down from time to time.

The last pic you posted may raise some concerns, but if it's only concentrated to that area I wouldn't put a FOR SALE sign on the windshield just yet. I've bought plenty of rust free rigs that were plagued with mechanical problems and PO engineering woes.

 

[ranma21]

It is not too bad yet, certainly workable. it will need some rust treatment to stop or slow the rust down. if I have a chance I will bail out and look for another rust free rig.

 

[Billyfj7312ht]

I wouldn't put my running shoes on just yet Forest.......cars are like a box of chocolate, you'll never know what your getting till you peel back the wrapper.
I would give it a wire wheel, give it a clean and some rust converter/primer..........just don't eat it!!!

 

[alleycat]

Thanks for the replies. I will drop spare tire and get in there and take some frame pics and post them. The front of the truck is much better than the rear thanks to the three previously mentioned oil leaks. The oil coated many things underneath over time that probably would have rusted. I am tempted to cash in my chips and look for another mainly because unmolested and "only driven to church on Sunday" rigs seem to be getting harder to come by. That being said, the one I have now is awfully cool so I will see what the consensus is on the frame pics.

 

[artech]

So far, with the exception of the caliper, it looks better than my '95. Road salt and the calcium chloride they use now are just brutal on rigs. You kinda expect it up north and it's more common than folks think in some areas in the south too.

A long time ago I bought a 1966 chevy pickup in NC that had a ton of rust under it; I was really surprised by that because it had been down south it's entire life. Dunno if it was the salt water or road salt or what, but it sure was rusty.

That being said, while dealing with rust is a chore, usually its not a terrible ordeal. Get you some transmission fluid and some acetone at the hardware store, mix 'em 50/50(use a glass jar- it eats most plastics) and just slosh that stuff on the bolts you want to take off. Let sit overnight or a few hours or whatever, then wrench 'em. Works better than any commercial penetrant oil I have ever tried and way cheaper too! Just a pain to mix up and you have to keep shaking or stirring it because it keeps separating, but wow does it ever work!

If this mixture won't get it loose you probably will need heat, and probably a lot of it. Maybe a welder too, if things go bad. But, that's just the nature of the rusty beast. There are some really good rust inhibiting paints out there, I like Chassis Saver myself but there are a bunch more. A weekend with a wire brush wheel and some paint will take care of most rust spots if they aren't too bad. Sometimes the sheet metal has to be replaced and that can be expensive or just time consuming if you do it yourself.

And as far as keep it or sell it, well that's entirely up to you and your capabilities. Either your wallet or your toolbox, and how much free time you have. Nobody can answer that but you.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mixelplix]

I spent a few hours the past two weekends working on my 91, which looks similar to yours.

The first weekend I wire brushed everything that was loose, and pressure washed the underside thoroughly.

The second weekend I bought 5 cans of rustolium gloss black (cheap at $5.99 a can, try to find the ones that are 25% more free) and bombed the heck out of everything under the truck with the exception of the exhaust and the motor. I intend to do this annually.

Granted, it won't help you with rusted seized bolts - but it will keep the rust at bay, and prevent the truck from disappearing from underneath you.

 

[jonheld]

That looks like a 1 year old vehicle to me. Maybe 2. Light scale, discoloration, cracking of the undercoat. Not rust IMO. Nothing to be afraid of.
Spend some time with a garden hose and flush out the inside of the frame rails, wheel wells, etc. Allow everything to dry completely. Spray the crap out of the entire underside, frame, all exposed metal, etc. with Fluid Film 2x yearly. Wash and wax the body sheet metal often. If you lean her into a tree and scratch the paint, don't wait to make repairs.

 

[alleycat]

Great info and very much appreciated. I don't mind putting the effort into it if I can keep it looking decent for a while. I will take a few pics and post them tonight of worst areas I can find hopefully the consensus is "hang on to this one". By the way, I love reading the magic potions that you fellows use to keep these rigs running like the tranny/ acetone combo and the Fluid Film. If these rigs weren't so cool I wouldn't waste my time or money. Hell I have neighbors, young and old, that I have not even met before stopping by on their walks to chat me up about the 80 in my driveway (with me usually underneath it).

 

[jwilliams]

I was reading about this today... have no clue if it works.

http://www.erps.com.au/

 

[blhfla]

Rust is like cancer, it will keep growing until or unless it is arrested. Merely removing it from the environment where it started will not stop it. Once you start removing the infection you will most likely find more of it hidden "underneath". I once took a wire wheel to an old Datsun B210's door panels and turned (apparently) quarter sized rust holes into 3 inch diameter "clean" holes. After you have removed the deterioration, you need to protect the rest of the metal. I like RustBullet, guaranteed to arrest rust if applied correctly. They're very big in the marine and harsh environment industries. Completely removing all the corrosion is not even necessary, just the "loose" stuff, but I would clean it bare myself.

 

[alleycat]

Well these are about the nastiest shots I could find underneath. I focused on bad areas of frame. I did a bit of brushing under here a couple weeks back but haven't really gotten after it hard. I am concerned about what appears to be that junction for the brake lines in that one pic. Seems pretty bad. If anyone sees anything that really looks like big trouble please raise the code red. Thanks

 

[Parsnip]

I've used phosphoric acid with great success. I brush it on and let it air dry. It converts iron oxide into iron phosphate. It is not for you if you need to paint it same or even next day. If you can knock off the flakes and loose stuff then brush it on and come back at it next week it will do the job. It won't free rusted bolts. I haven't used this on my 80 yet but I am about to. I'll post before/after if anyone would like to see.

 

[sbrodacz]

Por15 could be your new best friend.

 

[blhfla]

It may not look all that bad, but you can't tell what is underneath. I now live in Texas (and won't buy ANY vehicle that was up north, PERIOD) but grew up in the northeast. Once you start removing the tooth decay you will be surprised how deep it is. If it were me I would wire wheel/grind it all off to bare metal and arrest it with proven protection, otherwise be prepared to revisit the problem again soon. Unless of course you plan to sell it within a couple years to some poor unsuspecting buyer. Paint and even the corroded metal surface will hide how bad the infection is.

 

[alleycat]

I have decided to give it a go and engage in full scale rust attack on this rig and see how good I can get it. Plan on spending the weekend underneath with assorted tools of destruction a cooler full of frosty ones. Thanks to all who helped with replies.

 

[BILT4ME]

I have decided to give it a go and engage in full scale rust attack on this rig and see how good I can get it. Plan on spending the weekend underneath with assorted tools of destruction a cooler full of frosty ones. Thanks to all who helped with replies.

POR15 made by Eastwood Products. (POR=Paint Over Rust)

 

[jeffro109]

you might google for a soda blasting service in your area (like sandblasting but uses baking soda). Be a hellofalot faster than a wire brush.

 

[alleycat]

Yep I ordered POR today - Thanks. We soda blast the bottom paint build up off some of the sport fishing rigs that I sell to gain speed and efficiency - that's a good idea that never occurred to me. I was talking about rust to one of my Captain buddies who told me that the best thing going for loosening rusted bolts and fittings is a penetrant called Free All. He's been running big boats for years with lots of large machinery in a marine environment and he says it's hands down better than everything else out there. Its not cheap but its very effective. I'm sure its been mentioned here before at some point.